Wednesday, 24 May 2017

GOD'S PILL 2017 : CAPSULE 20

THE APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION: THE LOVE GOD

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 KJV

Amen! Thank you for joining us, we are discussing the all important subject of The Apostolic Benediction, popularly referred to as The Grace. I have received so many encouraging feedbacks. One of my partners said this teaching, just after two capsules switched on a light in him. I am eternally grateful to God for the inspiration. Remember that the Apostolic Benediction is suppose to be an anchor to keep your mind focused and steady on the functional presence of God in your life at all times. In the last capsule we looked at 'The Grace' (The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ). The UNEARNED. UNMERITED favour of God, which you must and can only receive as a gift (Romans 11:6). Understanding Grace gives you the assurance that what you are believing for already exist (Romans 5:1). Unlike what most believe, Grace set you free from sin, it does not set you free to sin (Romans 6:1-3). In this capsule, we would start on the second functional expression of the God head, the LOVE of God the Father. Again we cannot do an exhaustive study, the intention is to show you some practical applications.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”- John 3:16 KJV

The Greek word Agape is translated 'The Love of God' or 'God's kind of Love'. This word was introduced into the Greek lexicon to describe this unique concept. It is virtually impossible to adequately describe it. Grace comes first in the three functional expression for a good reason. It gives you the practical demonstration of what Love, (Agape) is all about . The best way to study or understand God's kind of Love, is to pay attention to its product... Grace. From John 3:16, you can see that it is UNCONDITIONAL, ABSOLUTE, LAVISHED, ACTIVE and a DONE DEAL . Ephesians 3:18, says it is MULTIDIMENSIONAL and much more. For me it is probably one of the most difficult concept to teach or explain . To start with, 1 John 4:18 says 'God is Love'. My question is, how does one explain God? Secondly, because it is often mentioned in the church settings, a lot of people assume they know what it means . But the horrible things they ignorantly attribute to God is diametrically opposite to what Love is. Thirdly, it does not have an appropriate or comparable analogy, virtually every other human response is conditional and reciprocal. This concept of unconditional Love exceeds the ordinary human imagination. So again I say to understand the Love of God, look at Grace, His unearned, unmerited favour!

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5 KJV

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”- Galatians 5:16 KJV

With all these been said, if you are born again, the Love of God is already in you. What you need is the knowledge to help you understand and give it expression in and through you. Romans 5:5 says it has already been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that is, poured into us in immeasurable quantity. Galatians 5:22, describes it as the fruit of your regenerated spirit. Plants produce their fruit as they mature, it is not something they acquire, (Praying that God should give you love is a waste of time, because He already did). This is the reason why the Apostolic Benediction is an affirmative statement. This Love is not an 'act' that you put on, it is the nature of God in you and it should be allowed to flow through you. It is the spiritual instinct of the New Creation. As you make God your focus it will express itself, stop struggling (Galatians 5:16)

In this first capsule on the LOVE OF GOD, what we have done is to dispel some myths and give necessary insight. In the next capsule we would consider the practical applications. Keep in focus the original intention of Paul, the Apostolic Benediction was a seal of Authority to the church at Corinth. Something to take their focus away from the sin and behavioural problem they had. Something to keep them walking in the Spirit, so that sin would not dominate them (Galatians 5:16). We need to constantly remind ourselves that we have access by faith to the UNEARNED, UNMERITED FAVOUR and LOVE that gave birth to it.

CONCLUSION WITH CHRIST WE HAVE GRACE, BUT LOVE GAVE BIRTH TO IT

PsIn the next capsule we would look at the practical applications of God's kind of LOVE.Don't forget to spread the word, link MinDGyM with your social media sites